Drilon: Duterte has "too many spokespersons"

(SPOT.ph) Senate President Pro Tempore Franklin Drilon has an advice to the Duterte administration: Assign only one person to speak on the president’s behalf. The senator told the press on Monday, September 18 that multiple government officials speaking for the president is a recipe for disaster.

ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOW

“Whether or not you admit that, whether or not you like it, marami kayong nagsasalita para sa Pangulo at hindi maganda. It’s a difficult job. For the sake of administration, you better have message discipline,” he told Communications Sec. Martin Andanar.

Drilon also said it would be best to relay an official memorandum especially to Cabinet members so they would refrain from giving contradicting statements. “Nakakalungkot at nakakatawa kayo. Ang dami-dami nyong nagsasalita para sa Pangulo, kung sino-sino,” he added.

Andanar acknowledged Drilon’s sentiments and said they would now only refer to Cabinet members’ statements for relevant issues concerning them. He also revelead that the president has agreed to let the Presidential Communications Operations Office be the sole handler of clarifications and statements that need to be issued to the public.

Drilon’s advice comes after several incidents where some Cabinet members have issued opposing statements on behalf of the president.